


With Loves Last Breath

by The_world_is_lonely



Category: The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-05-25 18:09:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 13,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14982710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_world_is_lonely/pseuds/The_world_is_lonely
Summary: Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane have been best friends since anyone can remember. They've always got each others backs, as well as their friends Clary and Simon, and Alec siblings Jace and Isabelle. Life has always been good and simple for the six friends. But Alec has a secret. He is madly in love with Magnus. And when Magnus's deepest and darkest secret gets revealed, their lives turn upside down. With promises made, and hearts broken, this gang will have to prepare for the craziest time of their lives!





	1. Chapter 1

Alec looked out the window into the street. "Were IS he? He should be here by now." Jace looked over at him with an aggravated look. "Relax Alec, he probably just woke up late again or something."

"But he promised that he wouldn't be late!"

Izzy looked over at her brother with a caring look. " Don't worry big brother, I'm sure he'll be here any minute. He's your best friend, he won't let you down."

"Look, there he is!" shouted Clary

"Bout time" Simon mumbled

Magnus raced in with a panicked look on his face. "Alec, I am SO sorry! The power in my house went out last night and it reset my alarm so I didn't wake up on time, and then I had to run out and grab my suit and the line at the dry cleaners was so long and my car just refused to start and-"

Alec laughed, relief evident on his face. "Magnus, it's ok, I was just worried that something has happened to you." His face stretched into an even bigger grin as he realized how disheveled Magnus was. "For goodness sake Magnus, slow down and make yourself a little more presentable. I mean, Look at you! Your suit pants are on backwards, and your jacket is onside out!"

"They are?" Magnus went over next to Izzy and looked at himself in the mirror. "Oh my god, I must have REALLY distracted to go out looking like this! I have to look fabulous 100% of the time. Especially today! After all, it's not everyday that you get to see your best friend receive the greatest honor a high school student can earn!"

Alec looked down at his shoes, cheeks blushing madly. "It's not that big of a deal." He said shyly.

Jace stood up with a sudden shout"Not that big of a deal?! NOT THAT BIG OF DEAL'??!!!! Alec, this is one of the most important moments of your life! Only two students out of the entire united states get chosen to even be considered for this award! You need to have perfect grades, meaning not a single 0 in your entire life! You must have perfect attendance for your whole student career, and you must be on at least two varsity sports were you are the MVP, and you must meet the proper score limits set for you by the state. This is a HUGE deal!!"

Isabelle stood up next to Clary." Jace is right. You have been chosen for the Miracle Student Award. No one has received this award in almost two decades!!!! You are going to be on National Television!"

Alec's face turned into a small grimace." But what of I don't want the attention? You guys know that I don't like the spotlight."

Magnus put his hand on Alec's shoulder." Hey,hey. It's going to be all right. You can take one person up there to revive the award with you, remember? You will be just fine and if you get too nervous, then that person can help you. I assume that you will want Jace or Izzy? So they can support you as your family?"

"Actually, I was going to ask you." said Alec while he stared at Magnus's hand on his shoulder, blushing like crazy.

"Alec..I...I would be honored!" He pulled Alec into a fierce hug and Alec, caught by surprise, gave a small gasp. Then, he wrapped his arms around Magnus, and tried to savor the moment, as he was sure that it wouldn't happen again for a very long time. This is what I get for being in love with my best friend he thought with a tear in his eye.

 

"Umm, I hate to break up this..touching friendship hug, but we have to go if we want to get good seats." said Clary. "Come on!"

 


	2. Chapter 2

"Wait, what time is it?" asked Alec. "We've only been waiting here for a few min- OH MY GOD! I HAVE TO BE THERE IN TWO MINUTES!!! Magnus RUN!!!" He sprinted out the door.

"Right behind you" shouted Magnus. The two friends took off in a flash, with Clary and Jace walking quickly behind them. Izzy was right behind them when she noticed that Simon still hadn't moved from his spot. She jogged back until she reached him.

"Hey come on, we're going to have to stand in the back if we don't hurry."

Simon stared off at the fading figures of Jace and Clary. Izzy followed his gaze, and realized what he was looking at.

"You're upset about something with Clary, aren't you?" she said with a sigh.

Izzy had figured out that Simon had a crush on Clary ever since they first met. While she thought that it was sweet, she knew that it was never going to happen, as the chemistry between Jace and Clary was obvious.

"Look, I know you have deep feelings for Clary, but you have to let her go. She clearly is in to Jace, and you should be looking for someone who actually cares about you. And besides, this is Alec's big day! You should be paying attention to that, and feeling happy for HIM, not sorry for yourself."

She walked away, with Simon wondering if what she really said was true, that Clary had a thing for Jace, and that he should forget about her. But there is no one who actually cares about me he thought to himself.

"And besides" he said out loud. " Clary is the only one who really gets me, and I'm not just going to give up on her." With this thought firmly in his head, Simon walked out into the sunlight and made his way toward the Institute Hall, where the ceremony was to take place.


	3. Chapter 3

Clary and Jace fell a little ways behind Alec and Magnus as they made their way to the hall. Jace looked over at Clary and saw her glancing at him. They both turned away, blushing feverishly. Jace walked slightly closer to her, but Clary moved away, too nervous to be standing that close to him. Suddenly, Jace turned and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to face him, their faces just inches apart.

"Oh for the love of-I can't take this anymore!" Jace yelled. Clary looked at him, startled. He looked over at her face, and saw the worry and also a little fear. "I'm sorry Clary, it's just that, well, there have been some... feelings between the two of us lately, and I feel like we need to address them before one of us explodes." Like me he thought.

Clary gawked at him, the surprise evident on her face. "Oh.... oh...". She felt her cheeks go bright red with heat. "Umm..what do you mean by that, exactly?"

Jace stared at her with an exaggerated look on his face. "You know what I mean." Clary tried to give him a blank stare, but Jace saw right through her. "Don't play dumb with me Clary Fray! I have known you for ten years. I know everything there is to know about you, and it's pretty clear that your crushing on me, hard." Clary gaped at Jace, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"I..I..I said no such thing. When have I ever hinted that I..like you?" she stuttered, blustered by Jace's words

 

"Clary, you look at me all day! I turn my back for two minutes and you'll be gazing at me the entire time. At school, you always volunteer to be my partner! There is TONS of evidence that you like me! And I don't know why you won't just admit it, because...I like you too. Heck, I think I might even love you..."

"I..." Clary didn't know how to respond to that. That stood there starring at each other for a few moments. Clary looked deep into Jace's eyes and saw that he was sincere. "Ok...IF I liked you, and you liked me back... what would we do now?"

Jace smiled down at her. "That's simple. I would do this." At that point, he had his hand on Clary's neck. He leaned in slowly, and Clary closed her eyes in the hush of the moment. Just as their lips were about to touch, Simon came up behind them, and said ""What are you guys doing?"

Clary and Jace sprang apart, and stared at Simon, trying to figure out how to explain themselves.

"Oh, um, Clary and I were just-" Clary cut Jace off by saying "He wad just checking for something in my eye, right Jace?" "I..wait, what-" Ooww" Clary stomped on his foot. "I mean yes, she had some dirt in her eye ad I was trying to get it out." Jace said through gritted teeth.

"Well, the ceremony is going to start any minute so we should hurry up." Simon said as he walked away. Clary turned to look at Jace. "Umm, so... how about we just pretend that never happened?"

Jace looked at her, hiding his disappointment. "Oh, yeah right, totally" he agreed. "We should go in" he mumbled. "Ok, I'm right behind you." Clary said to him, embarrassed that Simon nearly walked in on them kissing. Though she was a little mad at Simon for interrupting the kiss, it was probably for the best. Jace walked away, grumbling to himself.

Clary turners toward the city's skyline, very confused.

What the heck just happened?


	4. Chapter 4

The Institute was a beautiful and ancient building, one that has been around for centuries. It was first built as a monastery for monks and then it was converted to a church. In the 1700s some people tried to burn it down but they were unsuccessful. But the damage was done and the church was closed. It was later reopened as a funeral parlor but business was bad so the building was again sealed up. It was finally reopened twenty years later as an institute of learning and was forever renamed The Institute, even after the school was shut down due to the lack of students. It was now used for the purpose of special ceremonies for the government, like a military funeral or an induction into a position of power.

It was also the place were Alec was about to receive the Miracle Student award, the highest award a student can earn by the government. It hadn't been earned for a long time. The internet said it hadn't been given for almost five decades, but Alec didn't believe that the award could have been around for that long. Still, it was a big deal that Alec had earned it, as he was the best at their school, and the MVP of both the archery Team and the Mixed Material Arts team. As it was, Alec was thinking about hitting someone for making him agree to accept this award.

Alec felt like he couldn't breath. He was standing at the doors leading to the Auditorium. He was supposed to enter at the specific music cue they had arranged at rehearsals with his chosen partner. Magnus stood next to him, checking off a mental list to himself.

"Earring:Check. Suit on right:Check. Flower in lapel:Check. Making that Alec is ok and not freaking out: Not check" He said with a sigh. "Alec you're going to be ok. All you have to do is walk up there, receive your award, let me pin the medal on you, say a few words and your done! It's simple really."

Alec looked over at him, his face clearly panicked. "But what if I forget what to say? What if I trip walking down the aisle? What if I puke on the the President? What if-"

At that point, Magnus had to cut him off. "Alec look at me." He put his hand under Alec's chin and turned his head up so that they were staring at each other directly in the eye. "You are going to be fine. Nothing bad is going to happen. I promise."

At when he said this, he reached down and took Alec's hand and gave it a little squeeze. Alec studied their conjoined hands and smiled a Magnus. While he was still very nervous, Alec felt a lot more calm with Magnus's touch.

The Music was slowly getting louder as they were looking at each other, and it was almost time for them to walk in. "You ready?" Magnus asked Alec. "As long as I'm with you." replied Alec, looking at his best friend for almost eighteen years. The music swelled to it's climax, and the doors opened, revealing Magnus and Alec, standing side by side as they made their way down the ornate aisle.


	5. Chapter 5

The Hall was dimly lit by candle chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Magnus looked out over the seats and was surprised at how many people showed up. He knew that this was a big deal ad that news crews were going to be there, but it seemed that over half of the country was packed into the Institute that afternoon. He started to get slightly nervous. I'm used to being the center of attention, he thought, but this is a little too much attention for my liking.

He and Alec started to walk down the long carpeted aisle. People where filming them, taking pictures of them, even standing up to touch Alec as he walked past. Magnus looked over at Alec's panicked face and took his hand again, giving it a squeeze. Magnus felt something strange as he did this. His heart started beating fast and he started blushing a little. He had never felt this before, and it kind of scared him. He knew that his secret would never make him feel this way, but he still got panicked all the same. What if this means someone found me out? If anyone knows what I can do, I'll be labeled a freak! Magnus got pale as he thought this. No, this couldn't mean anything like that, this was something else. But what?

Alec looked down at their conjoined hands and smiled, just the tiniest bit. They made their way to the front of the aisle, and up to the stage where the president was waiting at a podium. Magnus let go of Alec's hand, but felt a little pang on his chest, like he was missing something.He stepped back to his place next to the curtain and sat down in the hard metal chair to watch the rest of the proceedings.

Alec was freaking out. His legs shook. His palms were sweaty, and his mind jumped rom thought to thought. Is that Mom and Dad over there? Oh God, I'm going to make a fool of myself. Wow, it's really hot in here. Holy s*it is that the president? He's shorter than I thought. Do I smell pizza? Then he felt Magnus's voice over the din of the crowd. He instantly felt calmer.

"Your ok, It's fine. Everything is good" Magnus whispered. Strengthen by his words, Alec straitened his shoulders and walked up to the president, sitting in the chair next to the podium.

"We are gathered here today, to celebrate the Union of these two souls" The president started.

Alec froze for a second, wondering if he had missed something. The audience laughed and Alec realized it was just a joke.

"Sorry, just couldn't help my self. No, we are here today to recognize the academic and athletic achievements of Alexander Gideon Lightwood. He is the first student in over two decades to receive the Miracle Child award. In order to achieve this award, a student must have straight A's and play on no less tan two varsity level sports and meet the proper score limitations set for them. Not only has Alexander exceeded the limits set for him, he has been named MVP of both the Archery Team and The MMA team! He has been named valedictorian of his class, an has been excepted into every Ivy league school he applied to! No doubt, Alexander is the perfect recipient for this award, as it is a miracle that he was able to overcome all of the trials he faced in completing all of the requirements."

As the President droned on Magnus started to get bored. He looked around the room to see some familiar faces. There was Izzy, sitting next to Simon, who was, of course starring at some girl. Izzy herself was staring at her brother with the pride only a sister can have for her sibling. There was Alec's parents, gazing at their son, as happy as could be. Then there was Clary and Jace sitting together. They should just get together already Magnus thought with a smile, which quickly turned into a frown. Why was Clary looking so uncomfortable and leaning away from Jace? And why did Jace look like he wanted to crawl under a rock? Magnus was pondering this when he got a strange feeling in his stomach. Oh no, He thought, Not now! Not in front of everyone! I have to resist, I have... to....control it.

Magnus forced the feeling down. He couldn't explode in front of every one. He just had to get through the ceremony. Then he could sneak away for a little while and get rid of the pressure. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hide it, but he had to, for the sake of his friends, especially Alec. Magnus wasn't sure what was going on with Alec, but he knew that feelings were stirring, and he didn't know if they were good or bad.

Alec sneaked a peek behind his shoulders. Oh my God! He thought. I didn't realize just how many people were here. From his vantage point, Alec could see that every house seat was filled with tons of people standing I. the back. He glanced up at the balcony and saw that it was stuffed to the edge. That has got to be over the standard weight limit.

Then he glanced at Magnus. He doesn't look so good Alec noticed. I hope he's ok. Magnus's face was a sickly pale color and his legs were sagging beneath him. He was breathing very hard and seemed to be mumbling to himself.

Magnus caught Alec looking at him and mouthed "I'm ok".

 

Alec have him a small smile and turned back to the President. Wait, I'm supposed to say something after this, He realized. Alec's palms started to get really sweaty and he found it hard to inhale. The president finished up saying, "And now that I have put you all to sleep, let us hear a word from Alec himself." With that, the Audience clapped and Alec took the Presidents place at the podium.

 

He looked around at all the people, and started to speak.

"Friends, family, others." He got a laugh out of that one. "Thank you so much for coming to witness this milestone in my life. It was a difficult experience, and I faces many hardships. But with the help of so many people, too many to list, I got through them and achieved what I thought was a foolish wish, only to be earned in my wildest dreams. But now I see, that with great friends" Alec looked at Clary and Simon," Great Family", He looked at Izzy and Jace, and then at his father and mother, who had tears in her eyes," and the help of those.....you love" at this, he turned and looked at Magnus, and they both stared at each other, trying to figure out the emotions written clearly on each others faces. Alec continued with his speech, a tear glistening in his eye. "With all of these people, you can achieve anything. Thank You". The crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Alec returned and sat quietly in his chair. He looked over at Magnus, who had tears punning down his cheeks and was blushing fiercely.

"And now, for the presenting of the award!" The President shouted.


	6. Chapter 6

Alec froze when he heard those words. He didn't think he could get any more nervous than when he was giving his speech, but he was proven wrong. As soon as Magnus pinned that medal on his chest, he would be... well, a miracle. Alec couldn't even begin to understand the pressure that this moment was going to put on him, and He wasn't sure if he wanted to deal with that.

Magnus stared at his shoes, trying to focus on the detail in the leather as he strained to rein in the pressure. I just have to get through the rest of the ceremony, and then I can go and let loose he thought.

"Mr. Bane, are you ready to perform pinning of the medal?" asked the president.

"Yes", Magnus responded, "I am". He slowly stood and made his way over to a small table, on which a deep purple pillow rested, and upon it, a beautifully handcrafted silver medal. Magnus lifted it off the soft velvet and proceeded to stand in front of Alec. His hands were shaking, but were visible only to Alec. Magnus then asked, "Alexander Gideon Lightwood. Do you hereby accept this award and all that comes with it"?

Alec looked out at the crowd, then back at Magnus. They stared onto each others eyes for what seemed like an eternity but was probably only a few seconds. He took a deep breath and answered,

"I do."

"Then it is my pleasure to bestow upon you the Miracle Award. Congratulations". Magnus pinned the medal to Alec's jacket and smiled. Them, with his legs about to give out, he stumbled back to his chair, exhausted.

Alec frowned, as he noticed that Magnus looked so tired and worn out, but he could not check on Magnus until after the ceremony was complete. He still had to thank to President and walk out of the hall and to the meeting place so he could talk with his friends and family before the crowd came to see him and congratulate him, and otherwise overwhelmed him. He turned to the president, quickly shook his hand, and giving his praise, Alec turned around and hurriedly started to walk off stage and back down the aisle. He glanced around at the cheering crowd and sought out his parents who were beaming back at him, with tears in his mothers eyes. He found Izzy soon after but instead of looking happy, she looked concerned as she switched her gaze from him to Magnus then back to him. She pointed to Magnus questioningly, as she knew that Magnus was supposed to walk out with him. Alec shrugged helplessly and hurried to continue down the long aisle.

He made it to the front of the doors without much trouble, but when he got there, something weird happened. A slight tremor shook the ground, rattling the old building, and shattering one of the windows. People started screaming and the crowd panicked. They pushed around one another as everyone attempted to get out first before anything else happened. Alec, caught up in the throng of people, lost sight of Magnus and the stage as he was shoved to the ground. No one noticed as he crawled to the side of the wall, getting trampled slightly in the process.

He lay there in a ball, not sure what to do, until he saw a familiar pair of high heels in front of him. "Izzy!" he exclaimed. "Yep it's me. Now come on, we've got to get you out of here."

"But what about Mag-"

"Jace already collected him from the stage. The presidents men were swarming all over so Jace had to get a little creative with how he got up there. He jumped up the railing, swung himself over it, and then flipped one of the guards over it without out anyone seeing him, grabbed Magnus, and ran down the stairs. It was quite entertaining to watch."

Alec smirked at that. "So Magnus is ok? He's out of danger?"

"Yes Alec, your boyfriend is perfectly fine."

"He's not...I don't... We aren't -" Alec sputtered, trying to make sense of what Izzy just said. "We aren't dating, and he isn't my boyfriend." Alec managed to get out.

"Well he should be." said Izzy. "You two make such a cute couple, and it's obvious you two have feelings for each other."

"Should we really be discussing this now? I mean, this building could collapse at any time it's so old."

Izzy looked around at the shattered window and screaming crowd rushing to get outside. "You right, we should get out of here." Then she glanced at the clogged entry doors and said, "Let's take the back way out." Alec stared at the people congested in the front and side doors.

"Agreed."


	7. Chapter 7

Magnus layed on the floor, staring at the ceiling. He breathed in deeply only to cough violently from all the dust in the air. He slowly reached a hand up and touched his head. He felt something sticky on his fingers, and when he brought the hand down to his eyes, they were stained a deep crimson red.

What happened he thought.

 

He tried to sit up, but felt so dizzy and nauseous that he had to lay back down. "Hello?" he groaned. "Is someone there? Can someone help?"

 

He heard screaming in the background and a cracking sound filled the air. Suddenly, Magnus felt strong hands pick his limp body up and start to carry him. He looked up and saw yellow hair and bright golden eyes. "Jace" Magnus mumbled. "Where's....where's Alexander?"

 

"Shhh, don't talk. Alec is ok. He's with Izzy. We need to get you to the meeting place, and we need to get someone to look at that cut."

Magnus felt the edge of panic set in.

"Cut?! I have a cut?! Jace put me down, Now!"

Jace gave Magnus a surprised look, and gently set him down. "Magnus, your in no condition to be up and walking around." Jace said hurriedly, trying to calm the panicky stricken boy.

"No, you don't get it, I need to get out of here, away from people." Magnus said frantically, trying to figure out the quickest exit not crowded by dozens of people.

Jace looked at Magnus concerned and started to slowly approach him. "What are you talking about? Look Magnus, you obviously have a concussion or something, we need to get you help. Just come with me and we'll-"

Magnus shoved him away and backed up to the wall. "NO! I won't come with you! I'm the reason all of this happened In the first place! I need to get away, before I hurt anyone else."

Jace looked at Magnus, confused." Magnus, you didn't cause any of this. How could you? It was probably a freak earthquake of something. We need to get you to the meeting place and we can sort all of this out."

Magnus looked around helplessly, until he spotted a little door in the back of the stage. "I'm sorry Jace" he mumbled, "But I can't have anyone else hurt because of me. You'll understand everything in the future. Tell Alec.... tell Alec that I love him."

Jace stared at Magnus, panicked and confused." What do you mean tell Alec you love h-"

Magnus snapped his fingers and a blue flame appeared in his palm. With a tear in his eye, he flung the fire at Jace. It hit Jace in the head and he collapsed on the spot. With one last gland at the throng of people, scared and lost, Magnus turned and ran to the little door, and out into the night.


	8. Chapter 8

Clary looked around frantically. She was at the meeting place, and no one else had shown up. She was starting to panic. Clary tried to call Jace again but it went to voicemail, just like the last ten times she called him. She considered calling Simon, but she knew that he didn't usually carry his phone with him to things like this. Almost as if thinking of him summoned him, Simon came running up, with Izzy not far behind him. Clary ran to him and crashed into a hug that practically suffocated her.

"Simon, you can let go now."

He looked at her red face and quickly let go, blushing. "Sorry, I'm just.... really glad your safe. After I lost you in the crowd I tried to find you but everyone was pushing and shoving to get out, and was trapped. I made it outside and bumped into Izzy, who said that Alec had run off to find Magnus and we ran straight here.."

"Clary where's Jace and Alec?" asked Izzy, out of breath.

"I don't know, I thought led was with you, and the last time I saw Jace, he was jumping on stage to grab Magnus."

"I looked for them but I didn't find anyone. I hoped that they had come to the meeting place, ut clearly I was wrong."

"Well the were could they be?!" exclaimed Simon. He looked around them, like they were hiding, at if he looked hard enough, he could find them. He glanced at Clary and gasped.

"Clary your hurt! Why didn't you say something?"

Clary looked at him confused and then glanced down at her arm were he was starring. The skin was torn apart into two jagged pieces from her elbow to her wrist, and the blood was caked on all around the wound, starting to dry up from dripping down her arm.

"I, I didn't notice" Clary stuttered, getting dizzy from the sight of all that blood. "I was so worried that you guys had gotten hurt or worse, that I think my mind didn't perceive any pain."

She moved her arm around and sucked in a breath. "I guess my mind recognized the pain" she hissed, gritting her teeth.

Izzy frowned at her arm. "We should get you to a hospital" she said. "Your gonna need some stitches for that."

Clary paled and started to back away.

"NO! N..n..no hospitals! I won..I won't go! You..you can't m..m... make me!"

Simon quickly walked over and put his arms around her.

"Shhh, it's ok, we get it. No hospitals."

 

Clary relaxed in his arms. "Thank you." she whispered.

 

Izzy looked at them, confused. "Ok, I don't know what's happening but we've got a problem. Clary's hurt, really bad. And if she refuses to got to the hospital, then we've got to at least bandage the cut and find Jace, Alec and Magnus. They should be here by now so either they got lost, or one of them might be hurt."

 

She looked around for a second and her sight landed on Simons tie.

 

"Simon give me your tie. It's the closest thing we've got to a bandage. Simon untied it and looked at it sadly.

 

"This was my favorite tie. I'm gonna miss it" he sighed, handing it over to Izzy.

 

"Well I'm putting it to good use. This might just save Clary's life. But it's not enough. Sooner or later, we need to get medical attention for this cut. No hospitals," she said, noticing Clary's face, "but at least have a doctor look at it."

 

With that said, the trio started to make their way over to the Ballroom, which was just a nickname for the empty space in the building next to the Auditorium. It was supposed to be where a lunch banquet would take place after the ceremony, but no everyone was going there to asses their injuries and find any people separated from their groups. The three friends hoped that if Jace, Alec and Magnus weren't at the meeting spot, them they were at the luncheon.

 

They walked in and Izzy gasped. The place was a mess, almost as bad as the Auditorium. There were cracks in the walls, dust from the ceiling still raining down, and what used to be a chandler laying shattered in the corner.

 

"What happened here?" Clary said weekly.

 

A man came up quivering.

 

"It was crazy!" the man exclaimed. "We were preparing the last minute touches dor the luncheons when suddenly a huge rumbling sound filled the air and the whole building started to shake."

"Just like what happened in the Aud." Simon murmured.

"Do you see the anywhere" Clary asked Izzy, who was the tallest in her heels.

"No, there's no sign of them." she said, frustrated. 

 

Suddenly, a wail pierced through the air.

 

"What was that!" shrieked a teenage girl.

Simon and Clary looked at each other. Should they check it out? Is it safe to? They had their question answered for them when Izzy barged through the crowd to get to the front of a wide rink around a Mother kneeling by a small boy.

"He's dead! she sobbed. "He got hit by a piece of ceiling tile and now he's dead." She flung herself over the boys beady, still crying.

What's happening thought Clary. Why is everything going to wrong today?


	9. Chapter 9

Black. All he could see was black. Jace looked around. Nothing. No one. Just darkness. Where were the others? Were they safe? Was Clary safe? He needed to find Clary! A light! Someone was under it. Was it Clary? No, it was, it was Alec! Why was Alec alone? And why was he all red? Blood! So much blood! He heard a scream, and a bang. Who was it? He turned around. There was a girl on the floor clearly dead. He couldn't tell who it was. But that fiery red hair was familiar. And that slinky black dress. And those... green eyes.....CLARY!!!

Jace opened his eyes with a start. He slowly lifted his head, and saw...a tree. Why was there a tree in.... what happened? The last thing he could remember was the ceiling falling and him trying to rescue...MAGNUS! Everything came back to him. The building was falling a part and he had gone to get Magnus off the stage. Magnus had refused to come with him and he, he, he did something to make Jace pass out. Then he ran out that door. But where was Jace now? He slowly got to his feet and immediately regretted it. A fierce head ache was starting to set in. Jace slowly reached up a hand to his brow and felt something sticky. Obviously something had hit him. But how was he outside, when he had passed out in the aud?

Jace recognized the building in front of him. It was the Ballroom, were the luncheon was supposed to be. On unsteady legs he staggered over to the entrance and made his way into the main room. It was very loud here with many little children crying and a few people even screaming. Jace searched the crowd until his sight landed on a blaze of fiery red hair.

"Clary" he shouted to be heard over the din. The girl turned around, tears streaming down her face. When she saw Jace she let out a shriek and ran through the crowd to him. Jace pushed through the crowd to get to her and they met in the middle.

"Jace!" Clary sobbed, burying her face in his chest. "I was so worried! After you didn't meet us at the meeting place and we didn't find you here, I thought...." she couldn't finish the thought and buried her face further into Jace. Izzy came running over shortly after Clary. "Jace, thank god, we weren't sure what had happened to you. Where's Magnus?"

"Umm" Jace stammered, not sure how to proceed. "About that, uh, there's some stuff we need to talk about, you see, Magnus, he, well he sort of just-"

At that moment the entire building started to shake again. Shrieks and cries filled the air as more of the ceiling fell on the people below. The crowd had just barely begun to stampede towards the exits when it stopped as soon as it started. Everyone looked around, afraid to move, waiting to see if it would start again. When nothing else happened for another five or so minutes, people cautiously began to relax. But the silence was short lived as three screams filled the air. In all the chaos, three more people had been killed. This time, a man and his wife, and an old women were the victims. Clary started to shake uncontrollably and tears poured out from her eyes. Simon came up behind her and started whispering in her ears as he guided her out of the building. He flashed Jace a challenging look as they passed, almost as if questioning the fact that Jace wasn't being there for Clary. Jace glanced at Izzy who was starring helplessly at the bodies on the floor. "Come on" he said softly. "We should get out of here. We need to talk." 


	10. Chapter 10

Simon put his arms around Clary and glanced smugly at Jace as they walked by. He finally had a win! He had been there for Clary when Jace was just off saving Magnus, who could take care of himself.

"Shhh, it's ok, it's going to be all right." he said comfortingly, pulling Clary into a hug. "No it's not!" she sobbed. "Three people are dead Simon. Dead ! I can't take it!" She keeled down into a fetal position and wept, with Simon covering her with his body, trying to shield her, shield her from everything. From the deaths, from the earthquakes... from their missing friends. If Alec and Magnus didn't turn up soon... they were going to have to assume the worst. It was too dangerous to go looking for them.

"Excuse me" said voice behind them. Clary stood up so fast, Simon thought she might have flown for a second. She stared behind Simon, and when he turned around, he could see why. Behind them was a bedraggled little girl, with cuts all over her, and covered from head to toe in what appeared to be ash. "Have you seen my Mommy?" she asked, clearly an out to burst into tears. "I was with her but then she fell and told me to keep going. I tried to stay but people swept me away. I went outside behind a building and there was a huge explosion. Now I can't find her. Where's my Mommy?" Her bottom lip started quivering. Clary quickly wiped her face and knelt down beside the little girl.

"Hi." she said softly. "My names Clary. What's yours?" The girl stared at her before whispering "Brianna." Clary smiled down at Brianna. Simon couldn't believe how quickly she'd gone from scared defenseless victim to strong and important mother figure. "Hi Brianna. I don't think I've seen your mom but I promise that we'll find her, ok? " Brianna nodded and wiped her yes, were ears had started to trickle down her cheeks. 

"Simon, help me with Brianna. We need to get her inside so we can bandage her cuts." Simon quickly helped Clary up, and started leading her and Brianna back into the Ballroom. As soon as they were inside Izzy ran over.

"Where did you guys go, Is Clary ok, do you know what happened, is-" she shut up as soon as she saw Brianna. "Who's this?" Clary looked down at Brianna and smiled. "This is Brianna. She lost her Mommy in the crowd and we're going to find her." Izzy crouched down to Brianna's height , which is pretty impressive, considering the size of her heels. "Hi, I'm Izzy. How old are you?" Brianna looked down shyly. "I'm ten, but everyone says that I look a lot younger than I am." Simon stared down at Brianna in shock. How could a girl this little , this young, be so, so, old?

Izzy had a similar look on her face. "You're, 10?" she asked, not quite believing it. Brianna nodded and looked over Izzy's shoulder. She gave a little shriek and started to back away. Simon turned, and gasped. There stood Alec, bloody and bruised, with what appeared to be a large black and purple gash on his arm, oozing white. Izzy screamed and ran to her brother. Jace was already behind him, holding up his arms and supporting Alec as he barked into his phone.

"I don't care!" he shouted. "My brother is in mortal danger and he is literally dyeing on the floor. We need medical help NOW!" The voice on the phone seemed to be slightly frightened as it mumbled in Jace's ear. Jace swore as a different voice came on the phone, and his face soured with each word the person spoke. Finally, Jace just hung up and started to tend to Alec's wounds.

"Izzy" he said quietly as he worked. "Where's your parents? They need to come and see Alec now. I don't know how much time he has." Izzy stared at him, and started to get very, very mad. "Jace!" she gritted through her teeth. "You are talking about my brother. I don't care what anyone says, he's going to be fine. This will all be over, and then we can all go back to a normal life." As she said this, Alec opened his mouth, uttered the words "Magnus..... He... He's gone." and promptly fainted.


	11. Chapter 11

Brianna sat on her bed, tears running down her cheeks. Mommy was yelling at Lizzy again, this time for using her powers to try to get that boy to like her. Brianna hated it when Mommy got mad. She would scream and yell, and her hands would get red hot, and sparks would come out of her palms.

She wished Mommy would stop yelling. Brianna didn't want her yelling at Lizzy. Lizzy was the best older sister a girl could have. She was the one who tucked Brianna in, who took her to school, who kissed her goodnight. Mommy was always too busy with clients to do any of that stuff. But not Lizzy. She protected Brianna.

Usually Lizzy sat quietly and took her punishment with grace. But today, today she was fighting back. She was screaming at Mommy about.... something about High Warlock. But Mommy was High Warlock. She was the oldest, and there for had the most powerful.

Brianna slowly got out of bed and crept down the hallway, and peeked into the kitchen. Lizzy was shrieking at this point, with little black sparks shooting out her hands. Mommy was standing in front of her, with little red sparks shooting through her clenched fists. Izzy shouted that Mommy didn't deserve to be High Warlock, that she should be it. Mommy didn't like that.

With a cry of rage, she shot a red flame at Lizzy. Lizzy blocked it with a sheet of black ice. Brianna gave a little scream, but neither of the women seemed to notice it. With a look of pure hatred on her face, Lizzy shot a beam of pure black magic at Mommy, and it struck right in her heart. Mommy turned the color of milk and staggered to the floor. With a groan, she fell and looked up at the ceiling, panting.

As she lay there, red magic started to seep out of her body, only to be absorbed by Lizzy who had an evil grin as her magic when from black, to a dark maroon. With one final gasp, Mommy closed her eyes, and was still.

Brianna blocked and realized that tears were once again streaming down her cheeks. But now, they were from fear, but from sadness. Lizzy breathed in deeply and let out a sigh. It was then that she noticed Brianna, kneeling on the floor, sobbing silently.

"Well..." Lizzy murmured. "If I want all the power, then I need to get ALL the power."

Brianna looked up as she said that, and realized what that meant. With a whimper, she curled up into a ball, waiting for her sister, her beloved sister, the one she loved and trusted, to kill her.

Brianna let out a war cry and flung a ball of maroon colored fire at Brianna. But with a sudden whoosh, a yellow bubble surrounded Brianna and zapped her away.

When Brianna opened her eyes, she was amazed and confuse to see that she was not dead, but in a bed. She looked around and saw a door leading to a bathroom, a fridge, and a big black book on a small table. Shaking, she slowly got out of the bed, and padded over to the little book. In it, she found instructions on how to live, a few chapters in some weird language, about five thousand dollars, and a little note. When she got to the note, Brianna took it out of the book and tried to read it in the dim light.

"Dear Brianna,

If you are reading this, then I am dead. I created this safe haven so if something should ever happen to me, some of my magic would go to you, and your magic would activate a protection spell I placed on you when you were born. I have many things I whish to tell you, but I must start at the beginning. Your sister is evil. Her father is not an ordinary demon. He is one of the most powerful demons in the world. This left bad magic in Elizabeth. If she is to ever become High Warlock, all hope will be lost. You must make sure that she never finds you, and you must stay alive at all costs. In your safe haven you will find book. In it is someone, and emergency spells that can only be activated in times of crisis. Just scan them, and your magic will remember them. I'm sorry we weren't so close when I was alive, but there are many things you don't understand. Oh, and one more thing. I placed a spell on you that will allow you to look as young as you want, up to your own age. Use this to your advantage. To low, stay safe, and remember who the enemy is.

Love Mom"

With a sob, Brianna hugged the note to her chest, and flopped back on the bed. She stayed there, crying herself to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Magnus opened his eyes with a groan and looked around. Where was he? The last thing he could remember was spelling Jace and running backstage. He felt terrible. Magnus slowly sat up, and saw that he was in an alleyway, a little ways away from the Institute. He felt like punching himself in the face. Why had he lost control?! He should never have gone to the ceremony, not with his magic on the fritz. 

Magnus got to his feet and promptly threw up. He could taste bile in the back of his throat. What was he supposed to do now? 

Magnus made his way out of the alley and into the street. He must have been out for a while, it was already night time. His memory was starting to come back. After he had exploded, he remembered fainting, and waking up in Jace arms. He spelled Jace and ran out the back door. After that.... he was pretty sure that he had run around the building to the side entrance of the ballroom. And then...... Alec had found him. And... and...

"Dam it!" Magnus mumbled under his breath. He couldn't member anything after that. He hoped Alec was ok. If anything happened to him... Magnus would never forgive himself. Magnus walked aimlessly down the street, not really going anywhere. He just had to get away. Get some where safe. Magnus walked into a small coffee shop, and bought a drink. He sat down in a little booth and slowly sipped the coffee. He didn't know what to do. He was just.... what was he doing? Magnus didn't know.

"Excuse me." said a voice behind Magnus. He turned around, surprised to see a teenage girl, about fourteen standing behind him.

"Hi. Can I help you?" Magnus asked, confused. The girl smiled, showing teeth that looked a little too sharp to be normal.

"Yes you can. I was wondering, have you come from the ceremony for your friend Alec who won the award? I'm looking for my little sister, she ran off in all the chaos."

Magnus stared at the child. He was a little concerned that this little girl was all alone looking for her sister. Where were her parents?

"I'm sorry, I can't say that I have. What does she look like?"

"She looks about seven years old, but she's actually 14. She has a medical condition. I was hoping you might know her, seeing how your a warlock and all."

Magnus stood up very quickly and backed away from the girl.

"I...I, I d..don't know wh...what your t..t..talking about." he stuttered.

"The girl smiled. "Oh Magnus, it's quite obvious that your the one who set off an explosion. Your magic is all over that area. Now, why don't you come with me and I'll explain everything.

 

Magnus looked eerily at the girl. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because I know who you are. And..." the girl clicked her fingers and a photo appeared in her hands. "I can show you your real parents."

Magnus gasped, and knew that he had to follow this girl at all costs.

"Alright, I'll go with you. But what's your name?"

The girl tucked the picture in her pocket and started to walk away. Magnus hurried to keep up with her. As they left the coffee shop, she mumbled something so faint, that Magnus could barely understand it.

"Adianez."


	13. Chapter 13

Adianez made her way down the alleyway with Magnus behind her. Ha! Male warlocks are so stupid!!!!!!! He believed her story about Brianna being her little sister instantly. Now all she had to do was get him back to headquarters. Elizabeth will be pleased.

When she had first come across Elizabeth, she was terrified of the world, of Elizabeth, and of herself. She's just come into her powers, and when she went off for the first time...she had destroyed her small country town.

Scared and alone, Adi made her way to a couple cities over. When she got to a place called Portiana, she had to find a place to stay. But no one would take in an orphan eight year old. She wandered the streets all night, until, finally, Adi decided to just give up. She tried to use her magic to make a shelter, but as usual, little silver sparks just shot out her fingers, and fizzled out.

She set up a little blanket on a park bench and tried to fall asleep. At about two o clock n the morning, she was wrapped up in the thin blanket, shivering. A lone figure was walking down the street. Desperate, Adi called over to the person, asking if they had a place she could stay.

The figure crossed the street, and walked up to Adi's bench. It was a young women, about 21 years old, and she was one of the most gorgeous people Adi had ever seen. The women looked at her, concerned, and asked what a little girl was doing on the streets alone.

She took Adi's hand, and brought her to her home. Adi was amazed at how it looked. On the outside, it looked like a regular house, but on the inside it was like a palace! Adi stared at the entrance hall, with a red velvet carpet, and a huge chocolate fountain. A small dog ran up and started jumping around Adi.

The women came into the room and introduced herself as Elizabeth. She looked at Adi, smiled, and then clicked her fingers together. Adi was shocked to see a small maroon flame pop out of Elizabeth's fingers. Adi was a warlock too!!!! She instantly had many questions about Elizabeth, and Elizabeth was happy to answer them all.

She was a warlock, and came into her powers when she was 9 years old. She was actually a part of a warlock family, which means that since she was the oldest, she should be the most powerful, and that she should be High Warlock.

But Elizabeth's past was not a happy one. She had a sister, who had killed their mother, and tried to kill Elizabeth, so that she could be high warlock. Elizabeth asked Adi if she could help her, help her find a very powerful warlock named Magnus Bane, as he could help her find her evil sister and together, the three of them could defeat Brianna. In return, she would teach Adi how to use her powers, and give Adi a house and home.

Horrified by what Brianna had done, Adi quickly agreed. Elizabeth got right to work with teaching Brianna all about magic and how to use it.

Now, she was putting her powers to the test. She had located Magnus, and he had believed her. Now all Adi had to do was find this evil Brianna and et her to walk straight into a trap, where she would be killed.

Everything was going as planned. Perfect.


	14. Chapter 14

*This is a time skip to right after Magnus ran off and Alec is trying to find him.*

Alec looked around frantically. The only people he could see were a few stragglers making their way over into the banquet hall. Where was Magnus??!!!!! He decided to look around just one more time. He had to find Magnus. When he saw Magnus run out the back door earlier, Alec was shocked that he had abandoned Jace, but also worried about why he had run. Alec ran around the back of the building. Nothing. He turned around and crashed into someone.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I didn't see where I was going, I'm just looking for my friend and-MAGNUS!!!"

In his rush of words, Alec hadn't even realized that the person he had run in to was the person he was looking for.

"Magnus thank god, I was so worried when I saw you running away, why did you run? Why did you abandon Jace, do you know where the others are?"

Alec wrapped Magnus in a big hug, relived to see his friend safe, so he was very confused when Magnus roughly pushed him away.

"St..stay away from me." Magnus stuttered.

"Mags, what's wrong?"

"You have to stay away from me! You can't get hurt!"

Alec looked at Magnus confused. "Magnus, what are you talking about, I'm fine. Look, you obviously really tired, you look like your about to pass out. Let's get you inside so you can get checked out and we can find Clary and Simon and the others."

"No!" Magnus shouted. "I can't go inside. I can't hurt anyone else. I can't....I can't hurt you."

Alec looked at him, scared now. "Magnus, this isn't your fault, and no one had been seriously injured. Everyone's fine, you haven't hurt anyone."

"Yes, I have..... You don't understand."

"Then make me understand!!!"

When Alec said that, Magnus grabbed his waist pulled Alec against him, and kissed him.

Alec was shocked, and didn't know what to do, so he just stood there for a moment. Then, realizing what was happening, he wrapped his hands around Magnus's neck and kissed him back fiercely.

They remained there locked in that position, for a solid five minutes. Then, pulling back to breath, Magnus rested his forehead against Alec's and closed his eyes.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do that." whispered Alec.

"I didn't know how much I wanted to do that until now" he replied.

"What... what do we do know?"

Magnus was starting to shake, and sucked in a deep breathe.

"Now, I have to get the hell away from here."

"What?!?!" Alec pulled away from Magnus quickly. "What do you mean get away from here. You just kissed me, a boy who's had a crush on you his entire life, and you just want to get away?!"

Magnus took a deep breath. He could feel his magic welling up inside him again. If he didn't get away soon, he was going to explode, right in front of Alec. But he couldn't just leave Alec with no explanation.

"Look Alec. There are a lot of things you don't understand right now, but I am going to tell you something and I need you to not question it, to except it. Can you do that?"

Of course I can." Alec would do anything for Magnus. Even if it meant dyeing.

"Ok, here goes nothing. I am a warlock, so I have magic powers. My biological mother was a demon, which makes me half demon. The people you know aren't my real parents, they just took me in when I was a baby. I don't know who my real parents are. I'm coming into my powers, which means I can't control them. That explosion from earlier? That was my powers, exploding out of my body. It's going to happen again soon and if I don't get out of here, I'm going to hurt many more people."

Alec stared at Magnus. He blinked, and slowly let out a breath.

"Ok. I believe you."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, your my best friend, and my lifelong crush. You've never lied to me before and I see no reason why you would start now."

"Wow, ok then. So you understand that I have to go right now?"

"Weellll, that's were we have a small problem." Alec said, as he grabbed Magnus's wrists. "I'm not letting you go anywhere until we get your head checked out."

Magnus was severely shaking now, and he felt like he was going to puke.

"Alec, we don't have time for this. I have to go before I explode!"

"You aren't going to explode." Alec said firmly. "You hit your head, and we are going to get you fixed up."

Magnus squeezed his eyes shut. He was close, so close..... to exploding... he couldn't hold it in... he couldn't..."

Magnus sagged down into Alec's arms. "Magnus? Magnus?!" Alec asked concerned.

Magnus looked up into Alec's face and whispered, "Run..."

And then he exploded.


	15. Chapter 15

"He's badly wounded. Whatever hit him gashed open his arm and cut up some vital blood veins. That would normally not be an issue, but what appears to be a wild fungus known as Intelly Linguna, which is a foreign fungus from India that rots the tissue is currently resting in his arm. We don't know how this fungus got to America, and we have no idea how to deal with it. What's alarming us is that the fungus has rotted through almost half of his arm. Even if we can deal with the fungus, Alec's arm may not recover."

The Gang was at the hospital, getting their wounds treated. Izzy and Simon were the only one's not hurt. Clary, after being dragged to the hospital, much to her dismay, had already gotten bandaged up and was waiting with Simon in the waiting room. Brianna had been band aided like crazy and refused to leave Clary's side. Izzy was with her parents and Jace's head was getting treated. Alec on the other hand, was in critical condition. Whatever had happened to him, had left him in horrible condition. The doctor finished wrapping Jace's head, gave him some pain killers, and allowed him to go see Alec's parents. Another doctor was with Alec and Izzy's parents, telling them how Alec was. Izzy was close to tears.

 

"Can we speak to him yet?" asked Izzy.

"No, I'm afraid that Alec is not awake yet."

"When can he go home?" asked Mares, Alec's mom. The doctor scratched the back of his head, an awkward look on his face.

"Well, with his condition, and the fact that he has a foreign disease that hasn't been seen in the U.S ever, he won't be able to go home for a few months at least."

At this, Izzy burst into sobs. Clary and Simon walked into the room, with Brianna trailing behind them.

 

"What's going on?" Clary asked, concerned when she saw Izzy sobbing.

 

"Alec..... He... he..." Izzy tried to speak but kept hiccupping.

 

"Alec's in a bad way." Jace said gently, wrapping an arm around Clary. "The doctor said that he may not be coming home for a while."

 

Tears leaked out of the corner of her eye has Clary processed this information. She turned her face into Jace's chest, and he wrapped the other arm around her. Brianna walked over to the wall and sat down, her lip quivering.

 

Everyone fell silent, wondering what was going to happen next. In fact, everyone was so nervous that the whole room seemed to jump when Marese's phone rang. She hurriedly picked it up and answered.

"Hello?...... Yes, that's me...... Oh..... oh.... ok.... thank you officer..... thank you for calling.... Yes, that would be very helpful........ of course, I will tell then..... Yes, I hope to hear from you soon."

 

She ended the call with a grave look on her face. "That was the police... They still have no sign of Magnus. No one's seen him, but they have reason to expect that he might have gone down town. The search team is going to try their luck questioning people over there. But other then that, there's no news."

 

Jace looked over at Simon, too tired to give him a smug look as Clary snuggled closer to Jace's chest. Simon looked back, a lonely look on his face. He looked over at Izzy, now on the floor, and walked over, crouching down to hug her. Izzy leaned into the touch, staring emptily at the floor.

Brianna stayed in her corner, trying not to cry, her hands over her ears, as if she was trying to block out the world. 

 

"Don't tell Alec." Izzy whispered. "It will only make him feel worse that his best friend is missing."


	16. Chapter 16

In order to read this chapter properly, please understand that when you see a paragraph begin with ***** it means it's a flashback in Alec memories, the rest is in present time. 

*****Alec looked around his bedroom. He wished Mommy and Daddy would let him paint it something other than black. Maybe blue, or silver. That would look cool! Mommy said that he had to go to school tomorrow. He didn't want to go to school. The kids had been mean to him all last week. Alec walked out of his room and padded downstairs. He could here Izzy in the living room, watching T.V. He climbed up onto the couch and snuggled up with her in a blanket. The two siblings stayed there for the rest of the night.*****

"We're losing him!"

"Grab the I.V"

"He's waking up!!"

"The surgery's not over... his arm is getting worse by the second!!!!!"

"Give him another dose! We have to keep him stable!"

"He's not going to make it...."

Alec closed his eyes, and fell back into a deep sleep.

*****Alec walked through the front gate. He looked up at the main building and sighed. He hated school. Magnus walked into a door and found himself in his classroom. He took his seat. There was a strange boy next to him, covered head to toe in glitter.

"I spilled another glass on me this morning. But I don't care, I like glitter." said the boy. Alec smiled. He liked this boy. "I'm Alexa- Alec." he said. The boy looked at him with sea green eyes. "I'm Magnus."*****

"The surgery was... unsuccessful. I'm sorry. There is still a small hope that Alec will recover but, I suggest that anyone who wants to say goodbye, takes this opportunity."

"Thank you doctor. Izzy, go in there first. Don't cry, please, there's still a chance that he'll recover. Just, go in and talk to him for a bit. Then, me and your father would like to.... to say a few words to him."

*****Alec walked down the street, with Magnus holding his hand. They were on their way to get some ice-cream. The school bullies came by on their bikes. "Hey homos, are you on your way to your wedding? Here comes the grooms!" Alec let go of Magnus's hand, and looked down at the ground, tears welling up in his eyes. Magnus looked at Alec, and then stomped over to the boy who said it. "You leave us alone!" he shouted, pushing the boy off his bike. The boy fell on his arm, cutting it open on some rocks on the road. "Mommy!" he wailed, running away with the rest of his friends. Magnus walked over, and took Alec's hand. Alec stared at the face of his best friend, holding his hand. And felt something in his chest. It almost felt like his heart was speeding up a little. Alec paid little attention to it, and the two friends made their way down the street.*****

 

"Alec, if you can here me, I want you to know I love you. You been the best big brother ever, and your going to get better. I promise."

 

"Alec, you have been the best son we could have asked for. We're so sorry that we won't be able to see you graduate college, or move out, or get married to a girlfriend... we are so sorry, and we want you to know that we love you. No matter what happens, we love you."

 

"Alec, you haven't known us for very long. But we love you, just as much as Izzy and Jace, and... and..., Oh Simon, I can't do this! What's going to happen to him? What if he dies? And Magnus, missing, not being able to say goodbye to his best friend..."

 

"Shhh, it's ok Clary. It's ok. Alec is going to be fine, and Magnus is going to be found. Alec, we just want you to know, you have been the best friend that we could have. You've gotten us through so many hard times, and we want to say Thank You, for always being there."

 

"Alec.... You are my best friend. I know that Magnus is your best friend, but your mine. You have always been there for me, have always protected me. I can't lose you. Please Alec, please don't leave. I need you, Clary and Simon need you, Izzy needs you.... Magnus needs you. If... when we find him, he has to be able to walk into your home, go up to your bedroom, and see you, hug you, heck, with the way you two have been acting lately, maybe he'll even kiss you. But you have to get better in order for that to happen. You...have... to... come back."

 

Alec tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't move anything, could barely breathe. With a tiny sigh, he again sank back into the cold darkness.

 

*****It was the night of the school dance, and Alec didn't have a date. Magnus, being Magnus, had to have had over half the girls in the grade ask him to the dance, as well as some of the upper grades and he had only winked and said that he was already taken. The only thing the school would talk about was who Magnus's mystery date was? Alec sat on Magnus's bed as he tried on outfit after outfit. "What about this one, hmm? Nah, too flashy. Oh oh, how's this one look? No, too tight. What about you Alec? Is that really what your going to be wearing?" "I'm not going Magnus, I don't have a date, remember? And besides, you know school dances aren't my thing." Magnus looked over at Alec and laughed. "That's an understatement. And your my date silly. Remember? I told you that I was going with you last month!" Alec looked at Magnus, flustered. "O..Oh....I'm...your mystery date?" Magnus finished putting on another outfit and was checking himself out in the mirror. "Of course your my mystery date# I wasn't about to choose from the hundreds of thousands of boys and girls at our school to take to a school dance! I'll save that for prom." Alec felt his cheeks go red. And felt a feeling he knew quite well by know. Jealousy. As he watched Magnus put on yet another outfit, Alec had a terrifying thought. "I think I'm falling in love with my best friend..."*****

Alec's friends and parents were gathered around his hospital bed, as Alec slept, thanks to the massive amount of drugs and painkillers he was on. They were all waiting for the tell tale flatland of the heart monitor, as the Doctor said that with all the luck in the world, Alec would only last for three more days. Izzy had silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Jace, unable to be in the same room with out collapsing into a helpless heap, was outside, in the waiting room. Clary and Simon were in the corner, whispering to each other in sad tones. Alec's parents were sitting on the waiting chairs inside the room, starring aimlessly into space. Alec took in a deep, rattling breath, and let it out. The room, was silent, except for the steady beat of Alec's heart.

*****Alec looked over at the sleeping Magnus, and smiled. He got up and stretched. He looked over at his dresser and saw the picture, with him, Magnus, and their two adopted children, Lily and Kiren. After they were married five years ago, Magnus had begged Alec to adopt and Alec had finally given in. With Izzy as an aunt, the kids were learning great defensive skills, and Lily had a stunning sense of fashion, while Clary had influenced Kiren in the ways of painting. Simon had put so many bad jokes into their little heads, that Alec had considered murdering Simon for putting him and Magnus through that torture. Jace loved to wrestle with both of them, and loved to play sports with them. Alec was happy. He had a loving husband, awesome kids, amazing friends, and parents who had accepted him for who he was. Life was good. Alec looked back to that day, when he had received the Miracle Award, where Magnus had confessed his love for Alec, where Alec had come out to his parents, where Simon had proposed to Izzy, where Clary and Jace had finally kissed and started to date. The best day of his life.*****

The flatland resonated through the room, a call to death. The heart monitor went quiet. The room was silent.


	17. Chapter 17

While screams and wails filled a hospital room, as a young boy stopped breathing, just 55 miles away, the boys best friend was following a girl he just met, who was leading him to a women who wanted to kill him.

He had no idea that his best friend, and quite possibly his sole mate, was dying.

When the flat line sounded, Magnus stopped where he was for a minute.

He feet a little pain in his chest, almost like his heart had stopped for a minute.

He thought little of it, and continued on his way.


	18. Chapter 18

Brianna walked out of the hospital with a tear in her eye. When the doctor said that Alec wouldn't make it and say goodbye, Brianna had to get out of there before she herself exploded.

The others were too bust grieving to notice her leaving. Brianna didn't know why she herself was feeling grief. Maybe it was because Alec was so close to Magnus. After all, the only reason that she'd approached the gang was to try to speak with Magnus. She had known that he was a warlock as soon as she had see him. He probably didn't even now what he was, since males usually cam into their powers later then females and Magnus didn't appear to have a mentor with him, or even control over his powers.

When Magnus had explode, Brianna was amazed at the aftermath. His magic was everywhere, and he had done some serious damage. That meant that he was powerful. Very powerful. Maybe even powerful enough to protect Brianna from Lizzy.

She had used her magic to try to look like a five year old, but she didn't think it worked so well. Brianna was pretty sure she looked More like ten then five. So when Clary has asked how old she was, she said ten. Clary didn't seem to believe her so had to come up with an excuse, that she was older than she looked.

When Brianna had seen Magnus and Alec together, she had felt an instant connection between. It was quite obvious that their souls were bound together.

Seeing Alec like that, Brianna knew that Magnus was going to be devastated. When Alec died, Magnus would feel it in his heart. It will be like someone had stuck a knife in his chest. Ad when Magnus felt this, and realized what it meant, Brianna was worried that he would explode so axle, that he would destroy a least the state, if not the country. He was that powerful.

Brianna made her way down the street, eager to get back to her little safe house. Out here she was exposed, Lizzy could track her. And Briana was in no way shape or form ready to take Elizabeth on in a fight. As she walked up the driveway to a little shack, behind a nice apartment complex, she thought about Alec. She wondered if he was dead yet, or if he was still clinging to the last few minutes of his life. For Magnus's sake, Brianna hoped hat he stayed alive long enough for Magnus to be found. In fact, Magnus was so powerful, he could probably heal Alec with a tough of his hand. That is, of he knew the spell....that...had... hit... Alec.

"Oh my god." Brianna gasped.

Magnus is the one who gave Alec the disease!!! The second explosion! It all made sense now! Alec had probably found Magnus trying to escape and Magnus had gone off on him. That explained how a foreign fungus from India that had never been seen in the US got into Alec's arm. Because Magnus's ancestors were from India! And if the fungus was created by Magnus, then that meant that it could probably be destroyed by Magnus!

Brianna whirled around and started running towards the city. If she could find Magnus, then Alec could be saved! And then the two would be so grateful, that they might agree to protect Brianna! It was perfect!

But first, Brianna had to get back to her original age. She closed her eyes, and murmured "Ki akin, de yogan bre." She looked down at her body as it shifted from a five year old back to a fourteen year old. Being back in her body gave Briana some extra confidence. Attempting to cast a cloaking spell, so Lizzy couldn't track her, Brianna ran out into the night.


	19. Chapter 19

Elizabeth looked out over the city. Her view was excellent, seeing how she was in the highest building in the city. Of course, nobody could see it, besides her, Adianez, and now Magnus. Those were the only people she had included in her cloaking spell.

Speaking of Magnus, Adi would have found him by now, and should have successfully fooled him into thinking that she knew about his real parents, and Brianna being her sister. Elizabeth had a faint idea of who Magnus's real parents are, but that was all the more reason to kill Magnus. He was too powerful. Elizabeth had nearly been brought to her knees by the first explosion, and had practically passed out during the second. This wouldn't affect her so much if she had that little twits magic.

But Adi had her purposes. She was the only one who would be able to approach Brianna without her getting suspicious. Elizabeth had attempted to capture Brianna many times, but had failed. Hopefully, Adi would be successful where she was not. Of course, after Brianna was dealt with, Elizabeth would take Adi's powers while she was asleep and get away from there as fast as possible. While Adi wasn't as powerful as Elizabeth, she didn't want to have to confront Adi head on. They would take WAY too much energy.

 

She also needed to figure out what to tell Magnus about that Lightwood boy. While she was spying on Alec, she decided to have, a little fun, and make the heart monitor malfunction, making it seem like Alec had died. But the boy still had life in him. In fact, with a little help from Elizabeth, he could last almost two weeks. But, she would only keep him alive if Magnus did what he was told. Alec was Lizzy's bargaining chip, and she wasn't about to give him away.

As if the thought of her had summoned the girl, Adi walked through the door with and amazed Magnus behind her.

"Adi, welcome home. Did you find... umm, your sister?"

Adi looked at Elizabeth with a smile. "No Lizzy, but I did find another warlock who may be able to help."

Elizabeth peered closely at Magnus, who gave her a frightened look. "Hello. Who are you exactly?"

"Umm, my name is Magnus Bane, Mam. Adianez here said that her sister Brianna was at the award ceremony today, and was hoping I saw her. Then she mentioned that she was a warlock too, and had a mentor that could tell me who my real parents are. Is that you?" Magnus stuttered.

"Of course that's me! I taught Adi here all that she knows. And I can tell you who your parents are, but first you have to do something for me."

"I'll do anything to find out who my real parents are! Anything."

Elizabeth grinned. "Perfect."


	20. Chapter 20

Jace was freaking out. He didn't know what to do with himself. After the heart monitor had gone silent, the entire room had gone crazy, with Izzy wailing in a heap on the floor, and Simon hugging Cary, who was weeping in the corner, and Alec and Izzy's parents screaming for help, trying to believe that Alec was okay. When the doctors got there, they immediately checked out Alec to confirm that he was dead, so they were very surprised to find Alec breathing fine with a steady pulse.

It turned out that something had malfunctioned in the heat monitor, and the doctors got rid of it. They moved Alec to a new room, and that's when Clary noticed that Brianna was missing. With all the drama going on, no one had seen her leave, and Clary was frantic that something had happen to the little girl. She'd begged Jace to help her find Brianna, but even between him, Clary, and Simon, they couldn't find a single trace of the little girl.

With Brianna missing, and Alec hurt, and Magnus still missing. Jace felt helpless to do anything. He walked around the building one more time, looking for footprints, candy wrappers, anything to show that Brianna had been there. Jace had to find this girl, find her for Clary. He needed to show that he cared.

Jace had never felt this way about anyone else, and he wanted to show that to Clary.

"Did you find anything yet?"

Jace whirled around, startled. He sighed, seeing that I was only Clary, wrapped up in a blanket to beat the cool evening chill.

"No, not a trace. I don't know where she could have gone. I mean, she's only, what. Ten years old? And she looks like a six year old."

Clary looked at the skyline, watching the setting sun.

"I'm just so worried about her. Her parents don't know where she is, it's getting dark out, and it's betting cold out. I just... I want her to be safe." Tears started to run down her cheeks again, and Jace tried to figure out the best course of action.

He hesitantly put his arms around her, and when she didn't pull away, he squeezed her tight, stroking her fiery red hair.

"Shhh, it's ok. She'll be alright. We'll find her. Maybe her mom or dad found her and took her home. It's going to be all right."

Clary looked up at Jace's face as he softly wiped the tears off her face. They stared at each other, each unsure about what would happen next.

So when Jace started to lean forward, he wasn't sure what Clary would do. But she immediately reached back and when their lips met, it was like a fire was lit, with both feeling alive, and neither one of them wanting to pull away ever again. Clary wrapped her hands around Jace's neck, and tangled her fingers in his hair. He rested one hand on her hip, the other stroking her back. They stood there kissing, as the sun went down,and the stars started to shine down upon them.


End file.
